Silene acaulis
| Silene acaulis | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 2 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 0.2' |
| Width: | 0.5' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Silene acaulis (common name: moss campion)
Propagation: Seed - sow early spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring.
Cultivation: Easily grown in a light soil in full sun, doing best on a moraine[1]. Prefers a cool climate, plants can be difficult to bring into flower in the garden[2].
Polymorphic[1]. The sub-species S. acaulis saxatilis flowers more freely than the type[3].
Range: Arctic regions, also found further south on mountains in Asia, N. America and Europe, incl Britain.
Habitat: Mountain ledges and scree in N. Wales, the Lake District and Scotland[4].
Edibility: Plant - cooked[5][6]. Consumed as a vegetable in Iceland and in Arctic and Alpine regions[7].
The raw root skins have been used for food[8]. This report refers to the sub-species S. acaulis exscapa. (All.)DC.
Medicinal: The plant has been used in the treatment of children with colic[8].
Usage: Plants form a rooting carpet and can be grown as a ground cover when planted about 25cm apart each way[3].
Pollinators: Lepidoptera, insects
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Although no mention of toxicity has been seen for this species, it does contain saponins. Although toxic, these substances are very poorly absorbed by the body and so tend to pass through without causing harm. They are also broken down by thorough cooking
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.